GNAC Men's Basketball Report: Week 5

( FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 5 - 11 )

PLAYER OF THE WEEK EJ Day, Lasell (Senior, G - Norwalk, Conn.) - Day registered 36 points on 15-of-22 shooting to go with 18 assists, five rebounds and four steals in a 90-69 victory over Saint Joseph's of Maine, which marked the Lasers' only game of the week. Committing just three turnovers despite all of the usage, Day had 15 points and 12 assists at the half, followed by 21 points and six more helpers after the break. He was also 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 2-of-3 at the FT line.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Jamir Harvey, Regis (Mass.) (Fy., F - Robbins, Ill.) - Harvey continues to contribute off the bench for the Pride, averaging 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks last week. On Wednesday night at JWU, he scored nine of his 11 points in the second half to help Regis hold off the Wildcats in its 76-67 victory. He also collected five rebounds and two blocked shots. On Saturday, he notched his third straight double-digit scoring game with 12 points at Worcester State, including his first career game with two made three-pointers. Harvey also finished with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Harvey is fourth in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.584) and fifth in blocked shots (1.3) per game.

GNAC HONOR ROLL

Terry Dawkins, Albertus Magnus (Gr., F - Bronx, N.Y.) - Dawkins powered Albertus to a 2-0 week with GNAC wins over Dean and Norwich, averaging 17.5 points while shooting 56.5% (13-23) from the floor. The graduate forward poured in a season-high 24 points in the Falcons' win over the Bulldogs before posting his seventh double-digit performance with 11 points in the road victory over the Cadets. Dawkins also concluded the week recording 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block over 56 minutes of play. 

Omar Boone, Colby-Sawyer (Sr, F - Colorado City, Texas) - Boone had a career-week for the Chargers, averaging 27.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week. Coming off the bench each game, Boone shot 52.8% (19-36 FG, 5-14 3PT, 12-15 FT) overall. After starting off the week with a 25-point, six rebound, three-block performance against Emmanuel, he had a career-best 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds in a 76-73 home win against Anna Maria.

Malik Spearman, Dean (Jr, C - St. Paul, Minn.) - Spearman averaged 15.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.3 steals per game in a 2-1 week for the Bulldogs. The junior began the week with game-highs of 20 points and nine rebounds in a road win at Lesley. He followed with a 10-point, four-rebound effort in a tough narrow two-point loss to Albertus Magnus. The junior center ended the week with 15 points and a game-best 13 rebounds in a convincing victory over Johnson & Wales. 

Donte Pope, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr, G - Middletown, Conn.) - The Saints standout averaged 20.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a 2-0 home week for EC. Pope shot a combined 61.5% (16-26 FG) in the two victories, including 5-of-8 from three-point range and 3-of-4 from the FT line, and double-doubled in both contests. After notching 21 points and 10 rebounds in an 89-69 win over Colby-Sawyer, Pope had 19 points and 11 caroms in an 89-57 victory against Elms. Emmanuel (6-3, 3-0 GNAC) is now on break until Dec. 29, with the junior currently averaging 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Owen Liss, Norwich (So, F - West Suffield, Conn.) - Liss was nearly automatic from the field in a 1-1 week of GNAC competition for the Cadets, first tallying 15 points in a 68-61 win at Rivier behind a 6-10 (60.0%) clip including perfect 1-1 and 2-2 marks from long-range and the charity stripe, respectively. He followed that up with a 14-point performance against Albertus Magnus, going 6-8 from the floor. In addition, Liss averaged 8.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks in a week where he shot 66.7% on FGs and 3PTs, and a perfect 100.0% from the line.

Joshua Perez, Regis (Mass.) (Jr., G - Lynn, Mass.) - Perez led Regis to its second straight conference win of the season Wednesday, scoring a career-high 23 points at JWU on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-for-6 from behind the three-point line, and 5-for-5 FT shooting. Perez scored 18 points in the first half to help the Pride establish their lead, and collected two rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one blocked shots against the Wildcats. On Saturday against a tough Worcester State squad, he dished out a career-high eight assists to go along with five points, three rebounds, and three steals. 

Ryan O'Neill, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Gr., G - Litchfield, Conn.) - O'Neill helped lead the nationally-ranked No. 2 Blue Jays to another perfect week, averaging 17.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game over a pair of GNAC contests, as USJ increased its win streak to eight games to start the 2022-23 season. O'Neill shot 47.8% (11-23) from the field, 50.0% (6-12) from beyond the arc, and 87.5% (7-8) from the free-throw line during the two-game stretch. The Litchfield product opened the week with 14 points and four rebounds in an 86-51 GNAC South Division victory on the road over Elms College on Wednesday, before netting a game-high 21 points to go along with three boards in a 94-52 triumph at home over Rivier on Saturday.